Nicholas Stern [USA]

Slapshot Rock (on Public Access show "Addiscene") [wmv]
American Women [mp3]

Ariel Pink interview

Estonian largest weekly newspaper Eesti Ekspress has selected their favourite albums of 2005 and guess what, Ariel Pink and his Haunted Graffiti made it number 1 with the brilliant "Worn Copy" album. For that reason, they published an interview with Ariel. Here's the original English version of it, due to the author Siim Nestor.

We - here in Estonia - have been listening to your old recordings all year. What has been the best thing to happen to you during 2005?
it's been a long year. definately the best thing all year has been spending time with my girlfriend. i asked her out this summer.
What's your biggest regret of 2005?
not spending enough time at home and not spending enough time with my family (even when i am at home)
Who would play in your fantasy supergroup?
hmmm. let me think. it would probably only be a one-off recording situation, not a band that plays live......it would be a group of songwriters led and produced by Quincy Jones, kind of like "we are the world" but they won't only be singing or anything like that) it would be one long ongoing song where everybody takes turn writing a verse, in their own way, unrelated to the previous. after quincy records the basic drum tracks (all played by either Lol Tolhurst, or Jaki Liebezeit or Mick Fleetwood) and Giorgio Moroder sequences the melody and harmony parts on a synthesizer that Harry Merry has adapted from charles ives original transcriptions, Johnny Marr overdubs the guitar and Paul McCartney adds bass, and then Quincy gives the basic mixes to me, which i write vocals parts for Charles Bullen and Bappi Lahiri to sing over the insrtumental mix.....
How's everything with your new album?
slow. i'm too busy lately and i don't have a stable recording situation yet. after the new year things might look up.
And how's the "Write Your Own Ariel Pink Song" contest going - have you got any great lyrics already?
good question. not that i know of yet, but i imagine Paw-Tracks will fwd me a stack of mail pertaining to this in the coming weeks.
How often do you write songs?
well these days i really only write parts of songs before i sit down to record them. it's only once i begin recording that i may decide to string these random parts together in some way to form the basis of a "song". so in truth i write only when i record and i record (as a solo artist) only when i have enough privacy, time and equipment available to me to be able to so. currently i seem to be unable to properly seize any of these requirements so sadly i don't write much these days. but i try as often as possible to record and write with whatever restriction is at hand, with mixed results.
What are your favorite records of 2005?
Herry Merry - "Well here's another nice mess you got me into"
The Cure Reissues
The Associates Reissues
anything by Rodd Kieth or MSR Song Poems
Where were you this Christmas?
at home asleep.
What are you doing on New Year's Eve?
ask me on new years eve. i'm sure there will be a party at Jason Falkners house....

Ariel Pink official website
Ariel Pink house
Paw-Tracks